DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-6 are pending and examined.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY DEVICE AND METHOD OPERATING WITH GARBAGE COLLECTION POLICY.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 10,740,229 to Na et al. (hereafter Na).
Regarding independent claim 1, Na teaches a method of operating a controller for controlling an operation of a semiconductor memory device including a plurality of pages, the method comprising:
generating a command for checking a programmed page ratio among the plurality of pages (FIG. 1: sending Signaltrig to page counting unit 504 and obtaining number of program pages ΔPGM and total sum ΣΔVPC of valid page decrease for ratio calculation, see );
implicitly transmitting the command to the semiconductor memory device (FIG. 5: for the map updating unit 506 to update the address information of the user data programmed in the memory block, the memory controller 130 should send command to the memory 150 to request information, see 12:62-13:3);
receiving information on the programmed page ratio from the semiconductor memory device (i.e. updated address information of the user data programmed in the memory block); and
determining a garbage collection policy of the semiconductor memory device, based on the received information (FIG. 6: determining garbage collection policy in step S624).
Regarding dependent claim 2, Na teaches wherein determining the garbage collection policy comprises determining to perform a garbage collection operation according to a first frequency when the programmed page ratio is less than a first threshold value (FIG. 6: step S622).
Regarding dependent claim 3, Na teaches wherein determining the garbage collection policy comprises determining that the garbage collection operation is to be performed as a background operation of the semiconductor memory device (see 6:3-10).
Regarding dependent claim 4, Na teaches wherein determining the garbage collection policy comprises determining to perform a garbage collection operation according to a second frequency higher than the first frequency when the programmed page ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and less than or equal to the second threshold (FIG. 6: step S622, see 13:61-14:59).
Regarding dependent claim 5, Na teaches wherein determining the garbage collection policy comprises determining to perform the garbage collection operation as a foreground operation of the semiconductor memory device when the programmed page ratio exceeds the second threshold value (see 9:10-17).
Regarding dependent claim 6, Na teaches controlling the semiconductor memory device to perform a garbage collection operation, based on the determined garbage collection policy (see FIGS. 5-6).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VANTHU NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1881. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 7:00AM - 3:00PM.
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September 28, 2026
/VANTHU T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2824
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